There are so many people in this world who don't think they are beautiful. They spend their time scrolling through their newsfeed, comparing themselves to people images that have been tampered with repeatedly (yes, even those doggy Snapchat filters are to blame). In all honesty, I have been one of these people for many years.
Social media displays a false image of what seems to be the unreachable beauty of perfection. Growing up in a time where social media is the main hub of social interaction, it is so easy to be blinded by these standards, especially if you are surrounded by them not only physically, but virtually as well. In my short 18 years of life, I have finally come to realize that perfection is not achievable! We all have a different view of perfection; therefore, there is no true perfect standard. Someone’s personality may not suit us, yet, somewhere another individual is wishing to find someone with those exact qualities! What really is ugly? In terms of personality, it is simple. The majority of us can agree that someone who constantly feels the need to insult others, berating them morally, has an ugly personality. However, in terms of appearance, there is no exact visual distinction of ugly. Yes, some may have ideas of unattractive features, but there is no major visual distinction that would cause everyone to unanimously say, “wow, that is one ugly son-of-a-gun!” Understanding this, we can also agree that each individual has a different perception of beauty.
If all of this is true, then why does society pose these generic expectations for what a woman/man should look like? It is amazing to see people breaking barriers and crushing societal norms, but it takes quite a while to even hear about these awesome social breakthroughs. Instead, our newsfeeds are flooded with images of makeup ads depicting these unrealistic expectations. We often believe that this false image of beauty clouds our judgement, more importantly, our own view of self-love, but it is really ourselves who do that. How many times have we seen a photo online of a gorgeous girl then proceeded to look in the mirror and think, "I need to fix this. Just let me fix that! God, why do I look like this? I need to lose weight!"
To the person reading this, if no one has taken the time out of their day to tell you this, you are so gorgeous! You are fabulous and capable of countless things. I dare you to be your own kind of perfect. Breaking societal norms isn’t about sharing a video about someone wearing socks on their hands; it’s about taking a stand and accepting yourself. We live in a world full of insecurities and envy which leads us to fail to see all the beauty within ourselves. Once we learn to accept the fact that we are humans, not perfect creatures, maybe we will learn to accept others for how they are (even if they do wear socks on their hands).
